Carolin Kropff is a visual artist whose work is process-oriented and cross-media. Her artistic practice moves between the fields of visual art, craft and art mediation, ranging from painting, textile art, printmaking and drawing to socially engaged art (SEA) projects.
Kropff examines the relationship between spontaneous creativity, cultural memory, participation and the assignment of meaning. Her work focuses on ways of creating forms and images informed by mythology and materials, as well as the associated craft techniques as carriers of personal and collective knowledge. She regards craftsmanship not as an efficient method, but as a practice of insight – a field in which cultural experiences are anchored and can be interpreted in the light of one's own artistic and creative impulses. Kropff thus combines artistic processes with craft practices and also socially engaged formats, with her projects unfolding in process-oriented, often collaborative contexts.
Since 2020, she has been running the Studiospace at Lange Straße 31 in Frankfurt am Main, an independent venue for contemporary art. The space functions as a platform for short-term exhibitions, artistic research, and discursive exchange, facilitating encounters between local and international positions. The Studiospace's project work is supported by the Frankfurt Cultural Office.
Education
1985–1988: Apprenticeship in men's tailoring, Schmidt Bespoke Tailoring, Wiemeringhausen (Journeyman’s Certificate with distinction)
1991–1995: Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
1996–1998: Städelschule Frankfurt (Graduation)
Professional Experience
1989–1991: Costume assistant and men’s tailor, Dortmund Theater
1999–2002: Studio in Madrid, Spain
2006–2011: Studio in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Since 2014: Curatorial work for short-term exhibitions with national and international artists in non-profit off-spaces. Supported by Kulturamt Frankfurt.
Since 2015: Collaboration with the British artist and fashion designer Felicity Brown
2020: Foundation of Studiospace, Frankfurt am Main - an artist-run space dedicated to the exploration of artistic creative processes and the promotion of encounters and communication in art. Supported by Kulturamt Frankfurt.
Since 2021: Teaching textile craft techniques to children and adults.
Exhibitions / Selection
2024
Scythia (G) – 15th Exhibition of Textile & Fibre Arts, Ivano-Frankivs‘k, Ukraine
2023
TWO PLUS TWO (G) Christina Kral, Carolin Kropff (G), Studiospace, Frankfurt/M;
„“ Layla Juna & Carolin Kropff (G), Studiospace, Frankfurt/M
Desert Gates – Back to the Future (S), Studiospace, Frankfurt/M, curated by Larissa Kolesnikova (LA)
2022
„“ Geske Slater Johannsen & Carolin Kropff (G), Studiospace, Frankfurt/M
Inner City (G), Glue, Berlin
Shape Play Shift (G), Christina Kral, Carolin Kropff (G), Studiospace, Frankfurt/M
2021
„“ Hassan Sharif & Carolin Kropff (G), Studiospace, Frankfurt/M
2017
Städelschule: 200 Jahre – 200 Künstler (G), Galerie Perpétuel, Frankfurt/M
2016
Experimentelle Korrespondenzen (G), MACS – Museum für Zeitgenössische Kunst, Sorocaba, Brasilien & Ausstellungshalle 1a, Frankfurt/M
2014
Paradise Lost (S), WOLFSTÆDTER Galerie, Frankfurt/M
2012
Re-Represented Portraits (S), Laboratoire d’Art Beirut, Libanon
2011
MinD (G), DUTAC, Dubai, UAE
29EXH (G), Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah, UAE
2010
FataMorgana (S), XVA Gallery, Dubai, UAE
BAF (G), XVA Gallery, Dubai, UAE
2008
Made in Tashkeel (G), Tashkeel, Dubai, UAE
2006
diesmal (G), Projektraum im Atelierfrankfurt, Frankfurt/M
2003
Blachfeld (G), auswärts kunstraum, Frankfurt/M
1998
Stuttgart 17.7.1956 – Salem (Wis.) USA 3.3.1977 (G), Portikus, Frankfurt/M
1994
Kunsthaus am Tierpark (G), Dortmund
1993
Spektakel (G), Museum am Ostwall, Dortmund
1991
Kunststudenten stellen aus (G), Museum Beckum
Carolin Kropff
Born 1966 in Altenbüren, Hochsauerlandkreis, North Rhine-Westphalia
Lives and works in Frankfurt am Main and Bad Vilbel, Hesse
Mother of three children